Education

The International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) was established in 2008, as the Caucus for Indigenous Peoples participating in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) processes. The IIPFCC represents the Indigenous Caucus members who are present/attending the official UNFCCC COPs and intersessional meetings of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA/SBI) bodies in between COPs. Its mandate is to come into agreement specifically on what Indigenous Peoples will be negotiating for in specific UNFCCC processes.

The emissions that cause climate change come from every part of the world and affect everyone, but some countries produce much more than others. The 100 least-emitting countries generate 3 percent of total emissions. The 10 countries with the largest emissions contribute 68 percent. Everyone must take climate action, but people and countries creating more of the problem have a greater responsibility to act first.

Climate change can affect our health, ability to grow food, housing, safety, and work. Some of us are already more vulnerable to climate impacts, such as people living in small island nations and other developing countries. Conditions like sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion have advanced to the point where whole communities have had to relocate, and protracted droughts are putting people at risk of famine. In the future, the number of “climate refugees” is expected to rise.

Many people think climate change mainly means warmer temperatures. But temperature rise is only the beginning of the story. Because the Earth is a system, where everything is connected, changes in one area can influence changes in all others. The consequences of climate change now include, among others, intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms, and declining biodiversity.

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, such as through variations in the solar cycle. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures.

For nearly three decades the UN has been bringing together almost every country on earth for global climate summits, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conferences of the Parties (COP). In that time, climate change has gone from being a fringe issue to a global priority. Cultural Survival's Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communications Daisee Francour (Oneida) spoke to youth activist Victor Lopez-Carmen (Crow Creek Sioux and Yaqui) at COP 26.

For nearly three decades the UN has been bringing together almost every country on earth for global climate summits – called COPs – which stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’. In that time climate change has gone from being a fringe issue to a global priority. Cultural Survival's Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communications Daisee Francour (Oneida) spoke to Gertrude Kenyangi (Batwa), Executive Director at Support for Women in Agriculture and Environment (SWAGEN) from Uganda, at COP26 which is taking place in Glasgow, Scotland, in November 2021.

Cultural Survival's Avexnim Cojti attended the COP26 summit, and spoke to Dr. Dalee Sambo Dorough (Iñupiat), International Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, who has served as an expert member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues for 2016 and 2017 and as a member of the International Law Association Committee on Implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

In November 2021, the 26th Conference of the parties is being held in Glasgow.
Cultural Survival’s Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communications Daisee Francour (Oneida) attended the summit and spoke to Carson Kiburo, Executive Director of the Jamii Asilia Centre, who is a youth leader and a community organizer from the Endorois Peoples of Kenya. He works on Indigenous Peoples' rights, youth empowerment, and global governance. 

Indigenous Peoples have always been at the forefront of climate change issues, whether that is in protecting forested areas, being disproportionately affected by sea-level rise, or leading protests and movements to shift consciousness and paradigms. However, their access to having a seat at the table when it comes to international climate change negotiations and treaties has been little to none. The UN has made some progress in including Indigenous voices in these processes, and Indigenous leaders continue to leave their mark on important agreements.